


Coat of Arms

by Seito



Series: tick tock, forward and back (time travel fics) [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 06:57:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17157362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seito/pseuds/Seito
Summary: 15 year old Cor met a man at the Tempering Grounds who said he was Clarus' son. Cor calls bullshit.(Or this was the last place Gladio expected to wake up when facing the Blademaster)





	Coat of Arms

“Tell me, why did you come?” Gilgamesh asked as he neatly dodged Gladio's swing.

“To get stronger,” Gladio roared. He needed this strength. How was he supposed to protect Noctis, supposed to be the Shield of the King without this strength? The next time Ravus came for Noctis, Gladio would push him back.

“So, you abandon your king for strength?”

Gladio faltered before recentering himself. No. This was just a mind trick.

“You can't trick me!” Gladio snapped, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

“It's not a trick,” Gilgamesh said, sidestepping the swing once more. “You are unworthy, Gladiolus Amicitia. Unworthy as soon as you ventured in here, didn't heed my warning to turn back. A true Shield would never venture far from his King. The Tempering Ground is a trap.”

What? Gladio's eyes widened. In one swift moment, Gilgamesh struck, disarming Gladio of his sword, tossing him backwards.

Gladio struggled to stand. Gilgamesh's blade pressed against his neck, freezing Gladio in the spot.

“You failed,” Gilgamesh said.

“But-”

“A Shield that seeks power is not a Shield. It is a Sword. The Tempering Ground is training for Swords, a trap for Shields,” Gilgamesh explained. His sword pressed closer to Gladio's neck, drawing blood. “Failure leads to death.”

Gladio hissed, trapped.

“Does your king even know you're here?” Gilgamesh mocked.

Ice ran through his veins. No… No, Noctis didn't. Gladio hadn't wanted him to worry. He swallowed hard, take a cold comfort that at least Cor would deliver the news.

(He tried not to think what if he hadn't come with Cor. Would Noctis think Gladio had run away?)

“Perhaps you ought to meet a real Sword and a real Shield. See where you measure up and fail,” Gilgamesh said.

Then in a flash, he raised his sword and struck down, not even giving Gladio a chance to throw up his arms.

-.-.-

Clarus was right.

Fifteen year old Cor cursed up a storm, just barely conscious as he limped out of the Tempering Grounds. Alright, fuck, yes Clarus was right. Coming here was stupid. On top of that, that asshole had taken his blade.

‘But,’ Cor thought with a frown, ‘I am alive.’

It had been so stupid of him to come here. Humility was definitely blown into him. With any luck, the rest of Crownsguard wouldn’t rub his failure in his face.

(And if they did, Cor was going to have his break his promise to Clarus _and_ Regis about picking fights.)

(So maybe only a little bit of humility had been blown into him.)

He was just a few dozen feet away from the entrance where Clarus was waiting when another body came flying at him. Cor tried to duck, but the damage Gilgamesh had dealt him made his body sluggish and the body crashed into Cor, knocking them both back.

“Fuck!” Cor snapped.

“Shit!”

Wait a minute. That sounded and felt like an actual person. After the last expedition, King Mors had forbid anyone from entering here. Cor was only able to because Regis had sighed and signed off on it.

(Regis who was waiting back at camp for Clarus and Cor to return. In one piece.)

(Wow, Cor really didn’t think this through. Regis was going to flip when he saw how badly injured Cor was.)

“Cor?”

Cor scowled, looking up at the larger man who had crashed into him. Long dark hair, big muscles, no shirt and a wicked tattoo covering his arm.

“Who the fuck are you?” Cor asked. The uniform, Crownsguard? But what on earth was one of them doing all the way out here?

“Why the hell are you so young?” the man asked.

Cor bristled. Oh so he was one of those fuckers, who thought Cor was too young to join Crownsguard. He thought he had taken care of that issue a year ago. Clearly not in this case.

He growled. Injured or not, he had enough energy left to kick this asshole’s butt.

“Cor?”

That would be Clarus with his impeccable timing to stop Cor. _Again_.

“Dad?”

Clarus stopped, realizing Cor wasn’t alone. “Who are you?”

The man opened his mouth but words failed him. Then he squared his shoulder and resolutely said, “Gladiolus Amicitia, your son.”

Bullshit.

Fucking bullshit. There was no way this guy could be Clarus’ son. Clarus wasn’t even married yet.

But… Cor glanced at that tattoo on the man’s arm. That was the same tattoo Clarus had recently gotten.

Clarus wordlessly handed Cor a potion. He immediately cracked it opened, letting loose a subtle sigh of relief as the pain faded. Thank the Astrals for magical healing.

“I see,” Clarus said, eyes never leaving Gladiolus. “Ignoring the fact that you’re around my age, got any proof?”

Gladiolus frowned. “You’re like twenty five right? The story you tell everyone about how you met mom was that grandfather introduced you to her when you twenty, since she was a friend of the family. The truth is you two met when you were eighteen and she was sneaking into the Citadel grounds. You caught her, only mom kicked your ass and fled. She never lets you live it down in private.”

Cor gaped. Really? He looked at Clarus who was turning a slight bright red. Was that true?

“Right,” Clarus said. “I’ll tentatively believe you. For now at least. I much rather get all of us out of here.”

He gave Cor a pointed look.

Cor scowled. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”

The sooner they got out of here, the sooner Cor got hear whatever crazy story, Clarus’ supposed son had to tell.

Maybe it would distract Clarus and Regis long enough that they wouldn’t ask what happened to Cor’s fight against the Blademaster.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out 8D


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